January

Blog Posts in November, 2011

Most contraindications to oral contraceptives (OC) are due to the estrogen component in the pill. Clearly, there are women for whom OCs should not be prescribed. These include women who have a history of migraines with aura due to the increased risk of stroke. Women with uncontrolled high blood pressure or smokers older than age 35 should not be prescribed OCs because of increased heart disease ...

Sometimes it’s the little things that can make a big difference. Here are 7 practical, evidence-based recommendations you and your doctor can implement now to improve contraceptive care: Do not require a pelvic examination before prescription of an oral contraceptivef Both the World Health Organization and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend doctors consider a ...

Over the years we have been presented with pregnant patient’s concerns about something that a well intending friend or relative has warned them to be cautious about. We asked our staff to share with us their favorites. Here’s a brief, albeit entertaining, list: Reaching above your head will cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby’s neck. If you see something ugly when ...

With the frequent use of transvaginal ultrasound, CT scans, and MRIs; the diagnosis of uterine polyps has increased. Endometrial polyps are small growth from the inner lining of the uterus. They occur in menstruating and postmenopausal women, and in some cases are thought to be related to unopposed estrogen and medications like tamoxifen. Some women are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis; ...

The discovery that persistent cervical infection by sexually transmitted high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) causes virtually all cervical cancer has led to revolutionary advances in cervical cancer prevention, including HPV vaccination for young women and HPV testing. A recent article published in the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology found a number of disturbing patterns regarding overuse ...

Perimenopause, also called the menopausal transition is a vaguely defined phase when a woman’s body progresses from previous predictable cycles of ovulation and resulting menstruation that concludes with menopause—the complete absence of menstrual bleeding for 12 consecutive months. While the average age of menopause is approximately 51, it can occur anytime in your 40’s and up ...

This week the government demolished it’s well-known food pyramid. Criticized as too complex to understand, it is replaced with a new, simpler image of a plate divided into basic food groups, called MyPlate. It was conceived as a crucial part of the first lady’s, Michelle Obama’s, campaign against obesity, designed to remind consumers about the basics of a healthful diet. The ...

Based on review of approximately one thousand published clinical studies (who has time to read that much?) the Institute of Medicine recently updated their recommendations for daily intake of vitamin D and calcium for bone health. They specifically desire to counter the widespread hype about an “epidemic” of vitamin D deficiency. Included in their recommendations is that a vitamin D ...

A new study published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that administering progesterone reduced the rate of preterm birth by 45% among women with a shortened cervix. A short cervix is known to increase the risk for preterm birth. The cervix is the part of the uterus that opens and shortens during labor. The study also found that infants born to women who had received ...

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a serious infection of the female reproductive organs—not vaginitis such as yeast. The infection starts in the cervix, which is the opening of the uterus into the vagina. It then moves up through the uterus and fallopian tubes, where it enters the abdomen. PID is most common among younger women who have sex, especially with multiple partners. Two common ...

Too often couples who count on condoms for contraception feel they’re well protected against unplanned pregnancies. As financial investment disclosures warn, “Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.” Statistics show over the course of one year approximately 15% of these couples become pregnant. Whether the condom accidentally broke or was forgotten, it’s ...

It is the little things that can make a BIG difference and this is so true with bladder control. As toddlers, we are potty trained. Ironically, as we grow old in the circle of life we often regress and revisit bladder control issues. For women this most commonly manifests itself as stress urinary incontinence and urge incontinence (AKA: Overactive bladder ). The embarrassment and humiliation keeps ...